Sending Office: Honorable Evan H. Jenkins
Sent By:
Geoffrey.Hempelmann@mail.house.gov
Cosponsor Legislation to Take Action Against the Fentanyl Crisis
Support HR 4090, the Fentanyl and Heroin Task Force Act, to create an interagency task force to eradicate fentanyl and heroin trafficking
Dear Colleague:
Last year 21,000 Americans died from fentanyl overdoses—more than 22 percent of the staggering 64,000 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2016. We can and must do more to combat this public health and safety crisis. In an effort to gather more and better
information about how best to address the growing rate of fentanyl and heroin overdoses, we have introduced the Fentanyl and Heroin Task Force Act.
The bill creates an interagency task force that will coordinate federal agency efforts to identify, target and dismantle organizations that traffic fentanyl as well as identify the sources of fentanyl and heroin production and distribution. In addition,
the task force will work with state and local law enforcement agencies to ensure they have in place best practices for handling and disposing of fentanyl, have necessary and updated information on targeting and taking down organizations that traffic fentanyl
and heroin, and have the operation and investigative support they need for these efforts.
The Fentanyl and Heroin Task Force will be required to submit a semiannual report to Congress that includes an update on the status of fentanyl and heroin trafficking within the United States, a summary of federal, state, and local efforts to eradicate fentanyl
and heroin trafficking, and recommendations by the Task Force to Congress for additional legislative action.
The Task Force will consist of members from the following agencies: Customs and Border Protection, DEA, FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, International Trade Administration, IRS, ONDCP, and United States Postal Inspection,
with the option of including two additional federal agency representatives chosen by the Attorney General.
To carry out this critical work, the legislation authorizes $5 million over five years.
To cosponsor please contact Geoffrey Hempelmann (Geoffrey.Hempelmann@mail.house.gov) with Rep. Evan Jenkins or Diana Rudd (Diana.Rudd@mail.house.gov) with Rep. Katherine Clark.
Sincerely,
Evan Jenkins Katherine Clark
Member of Congress Member of Congress
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